2025/12/19 by Michele Coti Zelati, Zelati, Michele Coti, Lucas Ertzbischoff +3
Physics and Astronomy · Computer Science · #Micro and Nano Robotics #Distributed Control Multi-Agent Systems #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2512.17649
We carry out a comprehensive linear stability analysis of active Brownian particle systems around a constant homogeneous state. These scalar models, being important prototypes for the continuous description of active matter, are Fokker-Planck type equations in position-orientation and are known to exhibit motility-induced phase separation. We fully characterize the linear stability and instability regimes, with an explicit threshold depending on the effective speed of the particles. In this way, we rigorously confirm a conjecture on phase separation originating in the physics and applied literature. Our sharp and quantitative (in)stability results are valid both in the non-diffusive case and in the case of small angular diffusion. In the stable non-diffusive regime, we uncover a mixing mechanism reminiscent of Landau damping for the Vlasov equation, albeit with significantly weaker decay. This decay is non-integrable in time and gives rise to substantial mathematical difficulties; in particular, it prevents the use of classical perturbative arguments to treat the case of small angular diffusion.